VeganMOFO-13

Cooking vegan food for non vegans can be a little tricky when you first transition to a vegan diet. Obviously this is very dependent of the person but in general (assuming they've agreed to come over) people will go one of two ways- #1 Happy to try things with lots of questions #2 Skeptical and will have plans to go out for second dinner afterwards because they think they won't like it. Getting people to try new things is all about variety. Don't just make one huge dish they might not love- go for lots of smaller things. For example, have pre-dinner nibbles, entree, main, dessert so you have 4 opportunities to win them over rather than just one! The other thing to be mindful of is when you're cooking for people used to processed food is do NOT go for low fat & sugar & salt options! They need to be eased into it so no giving them a naked salad- go for a salad with a yummy higher fat high flavour dressing. Make sure you give them flavour packed food that will leave them satisfied and full of energy :) Personally I'd go for something like spicy almonds to nibble on with a fruit mocktail, veggie soup, Dal, rice &/popadoms, veggie curry & dressing, cacao coconut nut balls, Tea. Easy, yummy, filling- win win win... & last but not least- don't tell them whats in things! I know some of you may have issue with this, but as long as you know your guests aren't allergic to anything you really don't have to let them know that the chocolatey tasting dessert is actually full of chia & flax & really healthy :P
I have very few foods I buy in packets but these are one of the best:

Emma & Toms Life Bars

These are great for when you're on the run. They're a bit pricey but as a treat they're perfect! and all for 160 calories. Healthy, yummy, just plain awesome. I tried the cacao & orange, cherry & goji, banana & lemon and fig & lemon ones. Personally I think the cacao orange is by far the best but fig and lemon comes a close second! I like the other ones too and would be more than happy to eat them again, its just personal preference. I have to say I got the other half to try them (yes, the man who hates dried fruit) and even he loved them! They really are that yummy. If I had money I would have these in the cupboard always...I must try and make my own. 

We were tempted by another packaged item the other day...

These however were not what I was expecting. They were sweet. I don't know what they did to them but they weren't right... I'll try making my own sometimes soon because these really did not satisfy my chili lime hankering. 
I made a chili soy version the other day they were good though... they had:
1/2 tsp tumeric,
1 tsp cumin,
1/3 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup cashews
I forgot to take a photo- sorry! Next time :) There will be a next time... yum yum yum
Another thing I found recently and love is Zevia.

Zevia has no sugar and is a great alternative to soda. Personally I've never really been one for getting bubbles up my nose (I never drank soda as a kid) but I've been trying to help the hubs develop healthier alternatives to soda and cordial. So we tried these and boy are they good. I find them really strong so I dilute them with mineral water (1:1) but he has them straight. I like flat soda so I like to leave mine out for a bit but all in all these are great.
Source
Bootcamp on the oval 19/10/11... not so great for the hay-fever & asthma 
Warm up jog round oval (big footy oval- AFL for the non-aussies)
(Jog length of oval x 2 , then 1 sprint ) x 4
Pulling the Sledge + 15kgs jog with it to mid oval and back whilst everyone else does (squats, lunges, medicine ball overhead throws, chest passes, burpees)
Partners doing turtles & jogging to edge of oval and back
Boxing 10 x 3
50 x 3 with jogs to mid oval in between
I may have forgotten something- that doesn't look like enough. Oh well, you get the idea.
*feel free to skip this vent*
I hurt my leg last Wednesday- a whole week ago doing that insane weights session and didn't stop to let it heal. I pushed through and thought I'd be ok. Silly. Silly girl. It came back and bit me in the bum (quite literally) today in bootcamp. Running became quite a challenge- I ended up running with one leg, the other just kind of stayed straight... not good. So now I'm taking tomorrow as a rest day and fingers crossed it will be ok for spin on friday! I'm thinking stretching, walking and heat pack- any other ideas?
Recipes- I've been thinking about the etiquette of posting recipes... when I cook from a book I tend not to post it because I don't want to step on the toes of the author. However it seems a shame to not photograph and share some wonderful meals... so I've been thinking about posting them but just omitting the recipe- say telling you the main ingredients, recipe title and book- how does that sound? How do you guys feel about it? Would it be a nice addition to the blog or just an annoying tease? Personally I love seeing photos of other peoples interpretations of recipes, makes me want to try them more!
ok, that is quite long enough- Have a great day everyone! xxx
p.s. I'm exhausted. Physically, emotionally, mentally. I can not wait for uni holidays... 25 days and 3 assignments to go!